In an industrial washing environment, such as a hospital, hotel, or large restaurant, there is a need to wash a large number of dishes and related material at various times during the day. For this purpose there have been developed industrial washing machines which operate at relatively high temperatures and utilize automatic systems for controlling and dispensing the water, detergent, and other materials to the interior portion, or washing volume of the machine. One element of these automatic systems is a dispensing apparatus for dispensing detergent into the washing machine in controlled amounts. These detergent dispensing apparatus have suffered from some deficiencies in operation and longevity, among others.
An example of such an apparatus includes a reservoir pivotably secured to a side wall of the washing machine. This system requires moving parts to permit rotation of the reservoir. The reservoir is configured to receive a batch of detergent for dispensing purposes. The detergent may be in a container having external threaded portions which will interact with the threaded bore in the reservoir. A screen fixed to the reservoir separates the detergent from the reservoir outlet. A water delivery system sprays water onto the detergent to dissolve the detergent sufficiently to pass through the screen and be dispensed into the washing machine.
A problem with this system is the number of operating parts that are involved. The rotating apparatus will eventually either leak or break. As a result, the rather caustic soap material can be spilled onto the floor, as well as over other operating elements of the washing machine. Hot water can be sprayed inadvertently beyond the reservoir causing damage to the operators and others in the vicinity of the washing machine. Even with a screw-on container, it is rather awkward to fix a large container into the receptacle without spillage or other malfunction.
Another apparatus employs an open reservoir into which the detergent is simply poured from a soft bag into a conical screen. This system suffers from a number of deficiencies relating to spillage and damage to the machine and injury to the operator. Spillage occurs in attempting to deliver the detergent from the soft bag to the reservoir. The detergent, once wetted, becomes caustic material and causes injury to the operators and also erodes portions of the machine to the extent where certain elements have to be replaced.